Padres 4, Diamondbacks 0
PHOENIX, Jun 29 — Mike Clevinger and Nick Martinez combined to pitch a three-hit, two-walk shutout, leading the San Diego Padres to a 4–0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks Wednesday afternoon. Second baseman Jake Cronenworth went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI to lead the Padres offense to victory.
The first four innings were a pitchers’ duel between Clevinger and Diamondbacks lefty Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner gave up two hits in that span, a two-out double by shortstop C.J. Abrams in the top of the third and a two-out single by first baseman Eric Hosmer in the top of the fourth. Clevinger’s only hit allowed came in the bottom of the third, when shortstop Geraldo Perdomo led off with a single. The only other Diamondbacks baserunner came on a one-out walk by left fielder David Peralta in the bottom of the second.
Padres Build Lead over Diamondbacks
In the top of the fifth, the Padres broke through. With two outs, left fielder Jurickson Profar drew a walk. He advanced to second on a follow-up single to left by catcher Austin Nola. That brought up Cronenworth, whose single to right brought Profar home.
The Padres added to their lead in the sixth against reliever Kyle Nelson. Third baseman Ha-Seong Kim drew a one-out walk and later advanced to third on an errant pickoff attempt. Center fielder Trent Grisham drew a walk, putting runners on the corners. A liner to short by right fielder Jose Azocar brought Abrams to the plate with two out. He plated Kim with a single to left, his second hit of the game.
Another Padres run came in the top of the seventh. A one-out double to right by Cronenworth and single to center by designated hitter Luke Voit combined to bring the run across. The Padres threatened to do more, but Hosmer grounded into a side-retiring 3-6-3 double play, quelling the rally.
It became a 4–0 game in the top of the ninth off new pitcher Ian Kennedy. After Profar led off with a double and Nola flied to right, Cronenworth crushed his second straight double, this time high off the wall in center. Profar scored easily from first.
Sealing the Deal
Meanwhile, Martinez pitched from the seventh inning onward, limiting the Diamondbacks to two hits and a walk, to earn the three-inning save. He ran into trouble in the eighth, however. Second baseman Buddy Kennedy led off with a single. After Perdomo flied to left, pinch-hitter Pavin Smith walked. Third baseman Josh Rojas rolled over on a pitch, grounding to the first baseman unassisted. Both runners advanced on the play, bringing up center fielder Alek Thomas with two runners in scoring position. His grounder to short, however, extinguished the scoring threat.
Postgame Reflections
“When you give up four single runs,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo sighed after the game, “you expect to stay in the game, which we did. You expect to give yourself a chance to win the game.” The disappointed skipper continued, “We had one opportunity there in the eighth and couldn’t cash in. Things were set up nicely, but they made pitches and we didn’t get the results.
“You can look at it a couple of ways. I’ve been saying all along, I think this team is a very good offensive team. We need to be stubborn to our approach. Hitting is hard. I want to acknowledge that. But we’ve got to be stubborn to our approach and have smarter at-bats.”
Lovullo later gave more detail. “We (he and the coaching staff) have to keep pounding away our message about line drives in the middle of the diamond…. Sometimes, you gotta give into the at-bat, take what the pitcher is giving you, and remember that home runs are thrown and not hit.”
Rojas said Wednesday’s game was “one of those days (where) we couldn’t really get anything going. I don’t know what to attribute that to. Was sitting on pitches but didn’t get them, mixed me up kind of well. One at-bat I tried to do a little too much but just missed it. That was the theme throughout the day, across the lineup — not getting the pitch you’re looking for; trying to do a little too much.”
Looking Ahead
Clevinger (2–0) earned the win, while Bumgarner (3–8) took the loss. The Diamondbacks (34–42) and Padres (46–31) both hit the road for their next series. After an off-day, the Diamondbacks will play a three-game series in Denver against the Colorado Rockies (33–43). The Padres, meanwhile, head straight to Dodger Stadium for a four-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers (46–28).
Main Photo Credits:
PHOENIX, Jun 29 — Madison Bumgarner of the Arizona Diamondbacks warms up in preparation for the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Chase Field. Padres third base coach and former Diamondback Matt Williams looks on. (Photo by Evan Thompson)
Players/managers mentioned:
Mike Clevinger, Nick Martinez, Jake Cronenworth, Madison Bumgarner, C.J. Abrams, Eric Hosmer, Geraldo Perdomo, David Peralta, Jurickson Profar, Austin Nola, Kyle Nelson, Ha-Seong Kim, Trent Grisham, Jose Azocar, Luke Voit, Ian Kennedy, Buddy Kennedy, Pavin Smith, Josh Rojas, Alek Thomas, Torey Lovullo, Matt Williams
